Northwest Labour movement celebrates groundbreaking for BCGEU Terrace offices

A project that has been in the planning stages for a few years now took  a major step towards development in Terrace yesterday, as the public service union, BCGEU broke ground on the site of it's new 4600 square foot office building in the heart of the downtown area of the Northwest city.

The Government and Services Employees Union's building which will replace its existing offices will serve over 2100 members that work across the Northwest, with two thirds of those workers located within a two hour radius of the new Lazelle Avenue structure.

It's construction will continue to reinforce the role of Terrace as a central service location in the Northwest, over the years a number of government offices and health services have gravitated towards the community.

Attending yesterday's ground breaking ceremony was BCGEU President Stephanie Smith, along with Treasurer Paul Finch who were joined by a number of local union members, the design team and architects for the project as well as municipal officials from Terrace.

Mr. Finch outlined the main focus for the Union as they put together their plan for the new office space in the city.

“Our goal is to serve and represent members in the region. To do this properly, we need state-of-the-art facilities that are accessible to all, welcoming, and add value to local communities.”

Groundbreaking day was Tuesday for a new office building
to house the BCGEU in Terrace

The building is expected to be completed and occupied by the fall of 2018. It will feature a range of sustainable materials and initiatives including high efficiency heating and cooling systems, recycled flooring materials, low E glazing, low flush toilets and automated faucets.

As well the project will exceed all minimum requirements for access, circulation and washrooms, with increased use of daylight views to improve the work environment.

Some notes on the Terrace project can be found here, while a few visual presentations of the project can be reviewed below courtesy of the BCGEU flickr stream:

What the new BCGEU office building in Terrace will look like
when construction is complete in 2018.

Floor plan for the new BCGEU office building in Terrace.

Presentation as part of groundbreaking day for the new BCGEU
office building in Terrace.

For more notes related to the Labour scene in the Northwest see our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review